COLUMBUS, Ind. – Columbus, Indiana, native and Purdue University graduate Yuri Kubo, 40, was named by NASA as one of ten astronaut candidates on Monday, September 22.
Kubo earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue. He worked 12 years at SpaceX, including as launch director for Falcon 9 rocket launches. The Columbus native was also a co-op student at NASA Johnson, where he completed multiple tours supporting the Orion spacecraft, the International Space Station, and the Space Shuttle Program.
He was the senior vice president of Engineering at Electric Hydrogen at the time of his selection
Kudo is part of the 24th NASA astronaut class, who were officially unveiled to the public during a NASA ceremony in Houston, Texas, on Monday.
Others in this class include:
- Ben Bailey, 38, a chief warrant officer – U.S. Army, from Charlottesville, Virginia
- Lauren Edgar, 40, from Sammamish, Washington
- Adam Fuhrmann, 35, a major in the U.S. Air Force, from Leesburg, Virginia
- Cameron Jones, 35, a major in the U.S. Air Force, from Savanna, Illinois.
- Rebecca Lawler, 38, from Little Elm, Texas
- Anna Menon, 39, is from Houston
- Imelda Muller, 34, from Copake Falls, New York
- Erin Overcash, 34, lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, from Goshen, Kentucky
- Katherine Spies, 43, from San Diego
Candidates will be required to undergo two years of training before they can participate in flight assignments. For more information about the ceremony and candidates, visit NASA’s website here.
